Rob: It's Tuesday morning and, believe it or not, I havenít seen even one inning of the ten straight losses (mostly because Iíve been away from my DirecTV for the last nine days). So maybe Iím not taking this current situation quite as seriously as I should.

Iíve decided, though, that Allard Baird is either a genius or a half-wit. Among the recent moves, my favorite has to be sending Ruben Gotay, not to Omaha Ė the level at which heís never proved himself, at all Ė but rather back to Wichita, where he .289 with power a year ago. Buddy Bell (another genius or half-wit) did say that Gotay, whoís currently batting .227, has to ďget better defensively,Ē which leads one to wonder if maybe itís too easy to play defense in Nebraska.

But again, maybe thereís something about Class AAA that I just donít know. Just like I donít know why Baird didnít swing a trade including Matt Stairs; a reliable source tells me the Dodgers wanted him, but the Royals were asking for (not one, but) two of the Dodgersí better prospects. Which strikes me as strange if not criminal.

Iím trying to avoid descending into utter hopelessness. I really have. But Iím afraid Iíve been getting a fair number of messages like this one latelyÖ

I recently moved to Boston. I went down to some sports bars by Fenway to watch the Thursday afternoon Royals/Red Sox game. We had a five run lead. Carrasco walks 7 batters in like four innings. The Red Sox score 9 runs in the fourth and fifth innings. They had 9 runs on three hits. Oh, and Berroa had three errors in one game the night before. The Royals ****ing suck. I'm done with them. I walk around Fenway in a Royals hat, which doesn't come out very often, and I'm like the foreign exchange student in high school. Everyone wants to be my friend, and laugh about how bad my team is, and give me support about rooting for my team even though they're an effing joke. It's pathetic to be a Royals fan. And to think...a few years ago I was at a game and saw Sweeney, Dye, Damon, and Beltran pound the day lights out of the ball. Awful.
Ryan Dolan
Boston

I suppose it could be worse, right? Tony Muser could still be in the dugout, running Chad Durbin out there for 132 pitches.

Rany: Sure, it could be worse. It could be much, much worse. For instance, the Royals could be three outs away from ending one of the longest losing streaks in franchise history, entering the ninth inning with a five-run lead, then endure this:

Ten years of utter incompetence, ten years of crushing futility, reached its absolute nadir this evening. In the course of a single inning, one that featured eight hits and three errors Ė including one on a routine flyball which would have ended the game if Chip Ambres had caught it Ė a franchise that I thought could sink no lower did just that.

And I am finally out of words.

Like you, Iíve endured this most recent losing streak with precious little to say, mostly because I canít think of anything to say that I havenít already said before. So Iíll try to phrase it differently. In May, J.P. Howell was an exciting young pitching prospect, hurtling his way to the high minors less than a year after he was drafted. By July, he was a disappointment and his future was in question. This isnít new. Ruben Gotay showed he could handle Double-A last year. He didnít dominate, mind you, but he was a quality second baseman in the Texas League. This year, he was a disappointment in Kansas City, so now he has to prove, once again, that he can handle Double-A. If only there was a league that was of higher quality than Double-A but not quite the caliber of the major leagues. HmmmÖ

Leo Nunez never mastered Double-A Ė he never mastered Single-A, actually Ė but the Royals let him get his brains beat in for three months before they figured out that hey, he never mastered Double-A. The Royals have eight pitchers on their active roster who are 27 or younger. Six of them Ė Affeldt, Bayliss, Burgos, Gobble, Hernandez, and Sisco Ė reached the major leagues before ever throwing a pitch in Triple-A. (And this doesnít include Nunez, or Howell, who made a single Triple-A start before starting for the Royals.)

The two who had a Triple-A apprenticeship were Greinke, who made half-a-dozen starts for Omaha last year, and Mike Wood. Wood, incidentally, has outpitched almost all these guys this year despite having arguably the worst stuff out of all of them.

Weíve heard complaints about how players are being rushed to the majors before theyíre ready since the very dawn of the major leagues, and for the most part itís bunk Ė players spend as much time in the minors today as they did a generation or three ago, and anyway the ones who spend the least time in the minors are the ones who are the most talented. But in the Royalsí case, itís true: theyíve rushed players to the major leagues, and itís ruined most of them. There are only two players in the entire system who appear talented enough that they could be excused a brief minor-league apprenticeship: Greinke, and Billy Butler, who might be in the lineup next Opening Day if the Royals have their way.

And while 21-year-olds with two good weeks in Double-A are getting indoctrinated in the majors, Matt Diaz, whoís hitting .408 (.408!) with a .736 slugging average in Omaha, canít get a promotion.

Iíve run out of words, because Iíve run out of excuses. The Royals are a pathetic excuse for a major league franchise in every conceivable way. The Royals lack talent, yes, but they also go out of their way to underperform with the talent they have. They do a piss-poor job of developing young talent. They donít have the money or the wherewithal to keep the talents that they do develop. They compound the difficulty inherent in developing young talent by rushing their players to the major leagues before they are ready. They let experienced minor leaguers with major-league ability languish in the minors. They do a poor job of keeping their players healthy.

And, oh yes, they are the worst one-run team in the history of baseball.

At some point in the last two weeks, it hit me: all this time Iíve been saying, hey, at least Iím not a Pirates fan or a Devil Rays fan or a Rockies fan, but you know what? The Devil Rays have young talent coming out of their ears. The Pirates have some interesting players to watch and a gorgeous new ballpark. The Rockies have the financial resources to turn things around once theyíve unloaded the last of their albatross contracts.

Fans of those teams can at least dream of better days. I canít. Not anymore. Not when, after being told for years to be patient because hey, weíre running a youth movement here and these guys are going to develop and make you proud one day, they prove in one glorious, disastrous inning that theyíre still at square one. They were so bad tonight that Joe Sheehan, whoís on vacation in Hawaii at the moment, was moved to write to us, ďAnytime you guys want to push to fold that franchise. Really. Any time now...Ē

I know you reached that point years ago, Rob. It took me a while, but Iím there with you. Iíll find a new team to love, a team that isnít an embarrassment from every angle. Someone give me a button to push.

Rob: What you said. Sort of.

I've never actually argued that the franchise should be folded. Rather, it should move. Set up shop in a new town, under new management. Because unless an open-minded, far-sighted owner takes the reigns, and soon, there won't be any rehabilitating this franchise in Kansas City. The fans, having endured another few hundred-loss seasons, will be gone and won't come back.

Let's assume, for a moment, that Allard Baird is the problem. Based on what we know about David Glass and his son, is there even the remotest reason to think that Baird's replacement would be capable of turning things around?

I don't think I can find another team to love, though. If that were going to happen, it would have happened years ago, when I was living in Chicago, or Boston, or Seattle. That's okay, though. I've been an obsessive fan of one team for almost thirty years, and maybe that's long enough. After all, there are twenty-nine other teams out there, and nearly all of them are more interesting than my team; all of them do have a better chance of making something of themselves. I do feel sorry for the (few remaining) Royals fans who weren't around in the late '70s, who missed the amazing run in 1985. But even if there is something beneficial about spending hundreds of hours ever summer following the worst franchise in the game, I doubt if the benefits are still justifiable.

The Royals were good to us for a long time, and we were pretty good to them. But now it's time to let them go.

Deberg_1990

08-11-2005, 10:59 AM

Nicely said Rob.....Everything he said, I and others on here have said many times before. I stopped watching or put much of an effort into caring a few years ago. Until they show me they care about winning more, im not going to devote any of my free time to something so hopeless and pathetic.

bkkcoh

08-11-2005, 11:01 AM

Yeap, it is really sad to agree with 'em, but I do. So much so called promise, but it is going unfufilled. :banghead:

Chiefs Pantalones

08-11-2005, 11:01 AM

ROFL

What happened to the "Buddy Bell is king, he will lead the Royals to many victories the second half of the season!!!" posts?

Uatu

08-11-2005, 11:04 AM

Yeah, they're not trying. Glass clearly wants to lose his ass on this team every year.

go bo

08-11-2005, 11:08 AM

Yeah, they're not trying. Glass clearly wants to lose his ass on this team every year.wow, if i buy the royals, i could loose (cp) my ass?

great, does it do bellies too?

siberian khatru

08-11-2005, 11:12 AM

wow, if i buy the royals, i could loose (cp) my ass?

great, does it do bellies too?

If you buy the Royals, you definitely will have lost your mind.

Uatu

08-11-2005, 11:13 AM

By the way, I'm sure glad baseball kicked Miles Prentice in the nuts (sarcasm)

Sure-Oz

08-11-2005, 12:04 PM

I say send all of them to triple A dont skip, sign crappy vets till their ready, we have ruined some good players it seems. im still a fan but this article is so true, too bad i was too young to realize whatroyals baseball was in 85!

ENDelt260

08-11-2005, 12:05 PM

I watched the WS in 85, but I think I was too young to really appreciate what was happening.

Demonpenz

08-11-2005, 12:18 PM

I knew the royals were going to be shitty and this year was going to be a learning process. Yes it bugs me that they haven't shown more progress, but i am a royals fan. I still believe we can teach berrora to take some pitches. I still believe teahan will be worth the trade of beltran. After 120 losses i will still be waiting in line for tickets exciting saying " this is our year" when the royals get moved i will be trying to steal a seat from the K. I grew up playing baseball morning noon and night. Watching royals games on TV using a right handed george brett stance during little league. In 3rd grade i wrote an essay how willie wilsons speed changed entire baseball games. I won't give up this team now or never until they move them. God bless the royals

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 12:44 PM

My biggest question is how ****ing bad can our entire coaching staff be? Most of our players never get better. Never. Does Allard just have a knack for finding used tire salesman who know something about baseball to hire as coaches, or are we just cursed?

And WTF is the thing with going right from AA to the "major league" team all the time with so many guys? Why do we have a AAA team? No one evers go there or leaves there it seems.

beavis

08-11-2005, 12:48 PM

Rob & Rany write the same thing every August.

It's kinda pathetic really, that you're such a die hard fan as to want your franchise to fold or move.

vckcchiefs04

08-11-2005, 12:54 PM

All of you bitter a$$ bandwagon fans please just go away. If you don't like what the Royals are doing then they don't need you..... for a town that like others say "don't support their team" they still at over 15,000 people out on a Tuesday night during a 12 games losing streak..... considering the size of our city that a good turn out for a bad team. They Royals are going to draw over 1.5 Million people again.... not bad for a city of around 2 million. Real simple.... the Royals are bad, but they are not going to set any "worst records on baseball history" and they have a bunch of kids who are learning on the fly up in the nig leagues. Keep in mind, we did not have a set ownership until a few years ago, that makes it hard to build anything. Every franchise goes through down times...... ourse stands out more because we have not made the playoffs on 20 years..... as far as I'm concerned though nothing matters except for world championships..... so you can get to the playoffs all you want, but if you don't win it all then you have done nothing, so in that case the Royals are in the same boat as a whole bunch of MLB teams!

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 12:59 PM

They Royals are going to draw over 1.5 Million people again.... not bad for a city of around 2 million.
KC doesn't even have one million people.

Real simple.... the Royals are bad, but they are not going to set any "worst records on baseball history" You sure about that?

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 01:01 PM

Rob & Rany write the same thing every August.

It's kinda pathetic really, that you're such a die hard fan as to want your franchise to fold or move.
I agree. I don't want them to leave. I just want them to stop embarrassing me. It's all about me.

:)

bkkcoh

08-11-2005, 01:04 PM

Rob & Rany write the same thing every August.

It's kinda pathetic really, that you're such a die hard fan as to want your franchise to fold or move.

What is the sad part is the last 10 - 12 years, they could write the same thing every August.

I am a die-hard Royal's fan, but I really hate to see not a lot of steps forward. It does seem hard to believe that there aren't a lot of positive steps forward. Granted there is a heck of a lot of improvement, it would be nice to see it translated to the field.

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 01:11 PM

What is the sad part is the last 10 - 12 years, they could write the same thing every August.
word.

Granted there is a heck of a lot of improvement
where?

Bob Dole

08-11-2005, 01:12 PM

KC doesn't even have one million people.
You sure about that?

The KC Metropolitan Statistical Area has 1.92 million.

KCTitus

08-11-2005, 01:14 PM

I dont fault the Royals for being as bad as they are, rather I fault the entire league. The Royals are small market and it's obvious based upon the salary levels and revenues that it is impossible to compete with the large market clubs.

To think that this club will ever be competitive is simply delusional. That's what I dont like about baseball other than the fact the game is boring as heck, that there are teams that have no business being in that league and that's the Royals.

MLB needs to contract it's teams by as many as 6-8 and reduce the length of the incessant schedule by 60 games. Make a game mean something again.

bkkcoh

08-11-2005, 01:14 PM

word.

where?

my bad, should have had a needs in there

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 01:19 PM

The KC Metropolitan Statistical Area has 1.92 million.
No shit....... :hmmm: I stand corrected.

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 01:19 PM

my bad, should have had a needs in there
ah..... yes......

BigRedChief

08-11-2005, 01:23 PM

I'm going out to the game tonight and sit out in the heat to watch this baseball team.

WTF is wrong with me?

beavis

08-11-2005, 01:30 PM

The KC Metropolitan Statistical Area has 1.92 million.
Yeah, what you said.

Saulbadguy

08-11-2005, 01:31 PM

They will get better. I'll still be true to em.

beavis

08-11-2005, 01:33 PM

What is the sad part is the last 10 - 12 years, they could write the same thing every August.

I am a die-hard Royal's fan, but I really hate to see not a lot of steps forward. It does seem hard to believe that there aren't a lot of positive steps forward. Granted there is a heck of a lot of improvement, it would be nice to see it translated to the field.
True. I'm giving them next season to prove something. If Baird hasn't significantly improved the team by then, the it's obvious in my mind that he's not going to. I'm really starting to fear that he's just a really good scout, and nothing more.

I take a little bit of hope out of other teams having gone through this same thing before. Not to mention our farm system getting pretty much wiped out in the 90's... stands to reason it would take some time to rebuild it and get a pipeline of talent going. I probably am too much of an apologist for them. Maybe I listen to Petro too much or something.

beavis

08-11-2005, 01:34 PM

They will get better. I'll still be true to em.
Whatever dude, they'll go 4-7 again this year. Err wait, that's not what you were talking about was it? :p

shakesthecat

08-11-2005, 01:38 PM

Any good will Baird built up with me in 2003 has been completely wiped out over the past month.

He has no idea what he's doing.

KingPriest2

08-11-2005, 01:39 PM

KC doesn't even have one million people.
You sure about that?

KC needs to go 2-47 something like that to break the record

There are 162 games in a season. I think to tie the mark they have to have over 120 losses.

so they have to be 40-122

New York was 40-120

our record now is 38-75 now

In the overall records we are in the middle of the pack.

Dr. Johnny Fever

08-11-2005, 02:09 PM

KC needs to go 2-47 something like that to break the record

:hmmm:

two more wins............ two............. more.................... wins.........

OK.... together we can.

(fwiw, I love the Royals.......... just don't "believe" anymore)

Saulbadguy

08-11-2005, 02:35 PM

Whatever dude, they'll go 4-7 again this year. Err wait, that's not what you were talking about was it? :p
You oughta come to Manhattan this year to watch your Tiggers get slaughtered for the 13th time in a row.

At least Pinkel teams put up a fight though. I remember a Larry Smith that came to Manhattan, and left on the losing side to the tune of 66-0.

:D

tk13

08-11-2005, 03:06 PM

Good riddance, Rob and Rany. I could give a crap what you think, have fun with your new teams. It is absolutely appalling to see the number of people who knew we were going to be young, going to struggle, and yet somewhere along the way in the last couple weeks have just totally snapped out of nowhere. I hope to God that Baird does not cave under the pressure from the fans. Next year some of these young guys will have a year under their belt, fill a couple holes with FA's (definitely in the OF and starting pitching), and we'll be fine.

I'm not going to guarantee that all these young guys are going to turn into a super team, but the caveat to that is that NOBODY knows the true potential of the guys on the field now, and they WILL get better, to just give up on them and say that you KNOW they've peaked after 4 months together in the big leagues in foolish. You'll never find out if you're any good that way. Nobody KNOWS how good this team will be, and that's why doing what we're doing is so hard on the fans, because we want to see a Pat Surtain, a Kendrell Bell, a Juan Gonzalez, so that our team looks good on paper. But like the Royals failed with a great team on paper last year, the Chiefs probably aren't going to be as good as 13-3 again even though they added better players than they did when they added Holliday/McCleon, etc... now we're dealing with "potential" and "patience", and that's two things 90% of sports fans don't have (see Johnson, Larry). I thought Rob and Rany were smarter than that. I guess I was wrong.

beavis

08-11-2005, 03:17 PM

You oughta come to Manhattan this year to watch your Tiggers get slaughtered for the 13th time in a row.

At least Pinkel teams put up a fight though. I remember a Larry Smith that came to Manhattan, and left on the losing side to the tune of 66-0.

:D
To get to Manhattan, I'd have to pass through the sewer they call Lawrence. So that pretty much counts me out. Besides, there are enough mullets and 300 pound women in KC, I don't need to see a campus full of them.

HemiEd

08-11-2005, 03:20 PM

I'm not going to guarantee that all these young guys are going to turn into a super team, but the caveat to that is that NOBODY knows the true potential of the guys on the field now, and they WILL get better, to just give up on them and say that you KNOW they've peaked after 4 months together in the big leagues in foolish.

I agree with your post but one question. I do not understand the Double A to Majors and back scenerio. Can you help a homer out with a plausible explanation? :doh!: I was wondering about this trend long before this article.

tk13

08-11-2005, 03:31 PM

I agree with your post but one question. I do not understand the Double A to Majors and back scenerio. Can you help a homer out with a plausible explanation? :doh!: I was wondering about this trend long before this article.
Well I think Baird could use AAA a little more, but really our AAA team is a bunch of AAAA'ers, so to speak. Guys like Pickering and Denny Hocking and such. I think Baird figures if a guy is ready to take on a large number of AAAA's, might as well throw him in the ocean at the big league level and let him learn how to swim.

Plus you look at a player like Gotay and people complain he went back to AA , and of course Rany doesn't mention this in his panic stricken diatribe, but Frank White is at AA Wichita. Who else in our organization would you rather have working with a young second baseman?

bkkcoh

08-11-2005, 03:45 PM

I dont fault the Royals for being as bad as they are, rather I fault the entire league. The Royals are small market and it's obvious based upon the salary levels and revenues that it is impossible to compete with the large market clubs.

I would agree with that as a whole, but if you look at teams like Minnesota, Oakland and a few other teams like that, they have been in the playoffs since the Royalís have. I would have to place a lot of the blame on that on the front office and scouting staff. It seems like we have several promising players, especially in pitching, but they never seem to pan out. The few players that we have had do well havenít stayed around once they were able to fly the coop, but who could blame them. I do remember when the Royals were playing well they would get +2 million fans in the seats. I saw in the paper the other day they were bragging about it being the 30th year in a row (or something like that) that they had drawn over 1 million in attendence. Wow, a little over 12,000 per game. Kansas City will support a winning team, or atleast one that has a chance of winning. Could that be used to describe the Kansas City Royals of 2005! Not currently.

To think that this club will ever be competitive is simply delusional. That's what I dont like about baseball other than the fact the game is boring as heck, that there are teams that have no business being in that league and that's the Royals. :toast: :clap:

MLB needs to contract it's teams by as many as 6-8 and reduce the length of the incessant schedule by 60 games. Make a game mean something again. :hmmm: Interesting, not sure that I am willing to agree on that one though.

Well I think Baird could use AAA a little more, but really our AAA team is a bunch of AAAA'ers, so to speak. Guys like Pickering and Denny Hocking and such. I think Baird figures if a guy is ready to take on a large number of AAAA's, might as well throw him in the ocean at the big league level and let him learn how to swim.

Plus you look at a player like Gotay and people complain he went back to AA , and of course Rany doesn't mention this in his panic stricken diatribe, but Frank White is at AA Wichita. Who else in our organization would you rather have working with a young second baseman?

It seems as if the AA level of ball is used for the development of the talent and the AAA level is used to spot fill the major league roster.

Saulbadguy

08-11-2005, 04:51 PM

To get to Manhattan, I'd have to pass through the sewer they call Lawrence. So that pretty much counts me out. Besides, there are enough mullets and 300 pound women in KC, I don't need to see a campus full of them.
Just take Highway 24 all the way to Manhappiness. It'll take ya up and around Larryville.

I'll make it to Columbia for next seasons game, for sure. Hopefully even a basketball game this season.

Uatu

08-11-2005, 05:06 PM

It is absolutely appalling to see the number of people who knew we were going to be young, going to struggle, and yet somewhere along the way in the last couple weeks have just totally snapped out of nowhere.

I hope to God that Baird does not cave under the pressure from the fans.

NOBODY knows the true potential of the guys on the field now, and they WILL get better, to just give up on them and say that you KNOW they've peaked after 4 months together in the big leagues in foolish.

because we want to see a Pat Surtain, a Kendrell Bell, a Juan Gonzalez, so that our team looks good on paper.

we're dealing with "potential" and "patience", and that's two things 90% of sports fans don't have (see Johnson, Larry).

Agreed on all points.

People with a fast food mentality shouldn't be baseball fans. They look at the record and say "OMG, WHY DOESNT GLASS SPEND MONEY". They don't understand that it's not a one or two year process to rennovate a baseball team, especially a small market team.

That's why about midseason every year the same people I know are saying things like "I'm done with this team forever!" But really you know, they are at their heart fairweather fans, who will be back when things look better, making it hard for true fans to get tickets.

beavis

08-11-2005, 10:08 PM

Just take Highway 24 all the way to Manhappiness. It'll take ya up and around Larryville.

I'll make it to Columbia for next seasons game, for sure. Hopefully even a basketball game this season.
Cool, I was supposed to be in Manhattan 2 years ago for the game but didn't make it. I usually only make it to Columbia once or twice a year. I'm thinking it'll be Texas or Nebraska this year. Definately be at the Arrowhead game though.

Ari Chi3fs

08-11-2005, 10:44 PM

Just take Highway 24 all the way to Manhappiness. It'll take ya up and around Larryville.

That was the gayest sounding post I think I have ever read on CP. NTTIAWWT. :thailor:

DanT

08-11-2005, 11:07 PM

I'm not really cut out to abandon a team I've always rooted for. Especially when the primary reason why I rooted for them was that they're my hometown team. I'll be a Royals fan unless and until they leave KC, I expect.

Logical

08-11-2005, 11:08 PM

I dont fault the Royals for being as bad as they are, rather I fault the entire league. The Royals are small market and it's obvious based upon the salary levels and revenues that it is impossible to compete with the large market clubs.

To think that this club will ever be competitive is simply delusional. That's what I dont like about baseball other than the fact the game is boring as heck, that there are teams that have no business being in that league and that's the Royals.

MLB needs to contract it's teams by as many as 6-8 and reduce the length of the incessant schedule by 60 games. Make a game mean something again.:clap::clap::clap:

Manila-Chief

08-12-2005, 05:59 AM

ROFL

What happened to the "Buddy Bell is king, he will lead the Royals to many victories the second half of the season!!!" posts?

I've been wondering the same thing myself. Amazing! We were scolded for not backing Buddy for the HOF when he arrived. Now it seems ... "He who laughs last ..." well, in this case hurts just as much as the rest.

Yes, all championships starts with the owner. Lamar was a driven man about winning ... until we won and then $$$ became more important. He turned things over to Jack Steadman because money was so important to him. He is making money again and I think he doesn't care if we win or lose.

Mr. K had the commitment to win. IIRC he said "5 championships in the next 10 years!" He put us into a position to win. And, I think he made money as well???

I agree with these guys ... Glass is too cheap like the products he peddled.

Uatu ... it does make one wonder what would have happen had Miles taken over. I dare say he would not have done worse???

KCTitus

08-12-2005, 07:00 AM

I would agree with that as a whole, but if you look at teams like Minnesota, Oakland and a few other teams like that, they have been in the playoffs since the Royalís have. I would have to place a lot of the blame on that on the front office and scouting staff.

It seems like we have several promising players, especially in pitching, but they never seem to pan out. The few players that we have had do well havenít stayed around once they were able to fly the coop, but who could blame them.

Your first paragraph contradicts your second...it's why I dont fault the club for being in the situation they are currently. This club has no shot at retaining talent they develop and it's worse than being a AAA club, because this club goes up against the large markets so they get first hand view of prospects in MLB game conditions.

I do remember when the Royals were playing well they would get +2 million fans in the seats. I saw in the paper the other day they were bragging about it being the 30th year in a row (or something like that) that they had drawn over 1 million in attendence. Wow, a little over 12,000 per game. Kansas City will support a winning team, or atleast one that has a chance of winning. Could that be used to describe the Kansas City Royals of 2005! Not currently.

Different era, really, for Kaufmann, the team was a total financial loss, he did it for the love of the game and the franchise was competitive. I dont think even Ewing Kaufmann would have been able to make this club competitive.

bkkcoh

08-12-2005, 08:30 AM

Your first paragraph contradicts your second...it's why I dont fault the club for being in the situation they are currently. This club has no shot at retaining talent they develop and it's worse than being a AAA club, because this club goes up against the large markets so they get first hand view of prospects in MLB game conditions.
.
It seems like we have several promising players, especially in pitching, but they never seem to pan out. The few players that we have had do well havenít stayed around once they were able to fly the coop, but who could blame them.

I don't think it is as contradicting as you think. What is the secret for Oakland and Minnesota? They seem to be mentioned in the same breath as KC when mentioning small market teams. The draft is even more of a crapshoot in MLB than it is in the NFL, how many rounds, 50 or so. :hmmm: Pitching is definitely a crap shoot, especially when you are dealing with HS players.

Different era, really, for Kaufmann, the team was a total financial loss, he did it for the love of the game and the franchise was competitive. I dont think even Ewing Kaufmann would have been able to make this club competitive.

KCTitus

08-12-2005, 08:38 AM

I don't think it is as contradicting as you think. What is the secret for Oakland and Minnesota? They seem to be mentioned in the same breath as KC when mentioning small market teams. The draft is even more of a crapshoot in MLB than it is in the NFL, how many rounds, 50 or so. :hmmm: Pitching is definitely a crap shoot, especially when you are dealing with HS players.

Contradicting is maybe a poor choice of words, more appropriate is it's a no win situation. The FO tries to get talent, which is very difficult to do in any sport, but as soon as that talent is developed, it's plucked away by the clubs that are competitive financially.

It seems futile to me.

eazyb81

08-12-2005, 08:40 AM

The Turd Birds are an embarassment of a team, I have tickets for this weekend but I probably won't even go. I'm really not even angry anymore, apathy has set in.

I know we weren't supposed to be good this year, but I also wasn't expecting to be the worst team in the league. I hope there is a stud college pitcher we can take with the #1 pick next year.

bkkcoh

08-12-2005, 08:47 AM

Contradicting is maybe a poor choice of words, more appropriate is it's a no win situation. The FO tries to get talent, which is very difficult to do in any sport, but as soon as that talent is developed, it's plucked away by the clubs that are competitive financially.

It seems futile to me.

Yes, that we can both agree on. it would be very cool to see the K filled with around 30,000 fans every game.....

It also seems like we can't get the position players and pitchers with talent at the same time..... It would be nice to have 2 or 3 pitchers that are up and coming along with the position players....

KCTitus

08-12-2005, 08:50 AM

Yes, that we can both agree on. it would be very cool to see the K filled with around 30,000 fans every game.....

Yep, all they need is a competitive product and that will not occur as long as this club is playing in the major league.

eazyb81

08-12-2005, 09:18 AM

Did anyone else hear that Gordon may not sign with us and will go back to the draft pool next year? Negotiations are not going good and he may choose to go back to Nebraska this fall for his senior year.

"I'd like to get him here this weekend for a visit," Baird said. "I don't know whether that will happen, but we'll work on it." Gordon, a third baseman, was the No. 2 choice overall as a junior in the June First-Year Player Draft.

With fall classes at the University of Nebraska approaching, time could be running out for the Royals to reach an accord with Gordon. If he chooses to attend classes, rules prevent the Royals from signing him, and Gordon would re-enter the draft pool next June eligible for any team to select. The two players selected behind Gordon have signed -- No. 3, catcher Jeff Clement for a $3.4 million signing bonus by Seattle, and No. 4, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman for a $2.95 million bonus by Washington. Both were represented by Casey Close, who also is Gordon's agent.

"We've been very aggressive," Baird said of the negotiations. "Ownership has really stepped up." Gordon is believed to be seeking well in excess of $4 million.

If Baird's invitation is accepted by Gordon, he'll undoubtedly get a pitch from Hall of Famer Brett. "George would like to talk to him," Baird said. "He's already told me that."

Mr. Kotter

08-12-2005, 09:23 AM

Why anyone would put so much time and effort into a team that clearly has no desire and put forth not real effort to win.....is beyond me.

I used to be a huge Royals fan. The 90s soured me on the entire sport, and the Royals have simply made my indiffernce easier.

The Chiefs, at the least, fake caring about winning...

shakesthecat

08-12-2005, 09:28 AM

Why anyone would put so much time and effort into a team that clearly has no desire and put forth not real effort to win.....is beyond me.

Yes, our time would be much better spent coming up with mutiple fake persona's on a internet message board.

Mr. Kotter

08-12-2005, 10:10 AM

Yes, our time would be much better spent coming up with mutiple fake persona's on a internet message board.

Let it go, will ya? I have.

Besides, amusement while multitasking, versus hours and hours for months out of the year and money on a team committed to losing?

It's your choice, certainly. :shrug:

shakesthecat

08-12-2005, 10:29 AM

Let it go, will ya? I have.

Besides, amusement while multitasking, versus hours and hours for months out of the year and money on a team committed to losing?

It's your choice, certainly. :shrug:

You made the bed, pal.

So if the Chiefs went thru a stretch of losing seasons, would you quit on them too, like you have the Royals?